The Sun. — London, England, 1838-06-28 00:00:00

CORONATION ANECDOTES. r.saridged front a little work entitled " Chapters on Coronations.") IN the age of the Plantagenets and Tudors,. and under the Stuarts, until the coronation of James TI., it was customary . for the kings to reside in the Tower of London for some time previous to the coronation. On the Saturday before the coronation the sovereign went from Westminster to the Tower of London, at tended by great numbers of the nobility and link dignitaries, and by those squires that were to be knighted, and who watched their arms'that night. Each squire had a chamber allotted him, and a bath in which he bathed. The ensuing day after mass the sovereign created them knights. After their investiture they were permitted to sit down in the king's presence, but during the whole time of dinner they were not allowed to partake of any part of the entertainment. The queens in their own right, Mary and Elizabeth, though they girded the swords on the knights with their own hands, did not give the accolade or blow, which is the determinate action that impresses the character of knighthood. At both coro nations, Henry earl of Arundel performed this office. A copy of his appointment is to be found in Ryrner. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. After William had taken the coronation oath, to protect the church, prohibit oppres sion, and execute judgment in mercy, Aldred put the question, " Will ye have this prince to be your king ?" The people answ ere d w ith loud shouts, and the noise gave so much alarm to the Norman garrison in the city, that the soldiers, believing the English to have revolted, without waiting to make any investigation, im mediately set the next houses on fire, which spreading and giving . a general alarm, most of the congregation rushed out of the church, the English hastening" to stop the fire, and the Normans to plunder. The bishops, clergy, and monks, who remained within the church, were in such confusion, that they were scarce able to go through the office of crowning the king; William himself, who saw the tumult, and could not conjecture its cause, sate trem bling at the foot of the altar; and, though no great mischief was done by the fire, it laid the foundation of a long and inveterate enmity between the English and the Normans, WILLIAM 11., RUFUS. William 11. laid claim to the crown by virtue of a form of election ; the nobles believ ing that lie would be less inclined to control their usurped privileges than his elder brother, Robert. He was crowned at Westminster, September 27, 1087, by Lanfranc archbishop of Canterbury, and the archbishop of York. Besides swearing to observe justice, equity, and mercy in all his conduct, and to maintain the peace, liberties, and privileges of the church, he promised that he would follow the arch bishop's counsels in hit administrations. HENRY I. The coronation of Henry I. was performed in a hurried manner, on the fourth day after the death of Rufus. In every respect the forms of his coronation were the same as those of the Saxon kings. STEPHEN. The r- - ronation- of Stephen, after he had sworn allegiance to the empress Matilda, was viewed with great anxiety in \ an age when it was supposed thit the punishment of perjury was immediate and visible. The ceremony was performed by William archbishop of Canterbury; and it is said that a dreadful storm arose, which threw all the parties into such confusion, that the consecrated wafer fell on the ground, the kiss of peace after the sacrament was omitted, and even the final benediction forgotten. HENRY 11. Henry was crowned at Westminster on the Sunday before Christmas-day, A.D. 1154, by Theobald archbishop of Canterbury : although his hereditary right was unquestionable, he was . formally elected by th e cl erg y an d peo pl e . It is said that Henry was crowned again with his queen, A.D. 1159 ; but this report arose from his having worn the crown during the ceremony. RICHARD I. Duke Richard, having made all necessary reparations for his cor ona ti on , came to ndon, where he assembled the archbishops of Canterbury, Rouen, and Tours, who had given him absolution in Normandy for waging war against his father after he had taken the cross as a crusader. First, the archbishops, bishops, abbots, and clergy, wearing their square caps, and preceded by the cross and holy water bearers and deacons burning in cense, went to the door of the royal bed chamber, and led the duke in solemn pro cession to the great altar in the church of Westminster. When they reached the altar, Richard swore, in the presence of the clergy and people on the holy Gospel and the sacred relics, that he would observe peace, honour, and respect, all the days of his life, to God, holy church, and its ordinances. His attendants then stripped him to his trousers and skirt, the latter of which was left open between the shoulders on account of the anointing. Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury, who wore rich buskins of cloth of gold, then anointed the king in three places, on the head, between the shoulders, and on the right arm. A con secrated linen coif and a cap of estate were then . placed upon his head, and he was vested with the royal robes, the dalmatic, and the tunic ; the archbishop' then delivered him a sword, to restrain the enemies of the church. Two earls then buckled on his spurs, and in vested him with the pall of state. After which Baldwin conjured him in the name of God, and forbade him to take the crown,' unless he were firmly resolved in his heart and soul to observe all the promises to which he had sworn. The festivities were sullied by a sanguinary and disgraceful 'riot. Numbers of Jews had 'l o cked to England in the reign of Henry II.,• where they were honourably protected by that liberal and enlightened sovereign. Grateful for such unusual favours, they assembled at London to subscribe among themselves, in order to make Richard a splendid present on the day of his coronation. Unfortunately Richard was persuaded by some of .the bigots who surrounded him that the Jews were accus tomed to practise magic on sovereigns during the time of the coronation, and he therefore issued an edict, prohibiting any Jew from en tering the church while the ceremony was per formed, or appearing at the palace during din ner. Curiosity overcame prudence; several of the most considerable Jews mingled with the crowd, and gathered round the gates of the palace. One of them, endeavouring to force an entrance, was struck in the face by an over-zeal ous Christian ; this signal roused the fanaticism of the multitude ; a general assault was made upon the Jews, who fled in confusion towards the city. Some wretches, eager for plunder, raised a cry that the king had given orders for the extermination of the unbelieving Jews ; and, as this was by no means improbable, when the king was a crusader, it received im plicit credit. The city mob, swelled by the multitudes who had come from the country, attacked the houses of the Jews, which the in habitants defended with great courage and ob stinacy. The enraged populace, ►hen night came on, finding that they could not break into the houses, hurled brands and torches on the roofs and through the windows. Conflagra tions burst forth in ♦arious parts of the city, which consumed not only the houses of the Jews, but those of the Christians adjoining. Richard caused several of the ringleaders and most notorious malefactors to be apprehended the next day; they were hanged as a. terror to others, a proclamation was issued taking the Jews under the royal protection, and the tran quillity of the city was restored. JOHN. John ascended the throne, to the prejudice of the hereditary rights of his nephew Arthur, by virtue of a form of election. The arch bishops, bishops, earls, barons, and other the estates of the realm, beinc , assetT_►hled in the church of Westminster, May 27th, 1199, Hubert archbishop of Canterbury addressed them in these memorable words : " Hear all men ? It is well known to your wisdom, that no man hath any right of succes sion to this crown, unless he be elected for his own merits by the unanimous consent of the kingdom, with invocation of the Holy Ghost, after the manner and similitude of Saul, whom God set over his chosen people, though he was neither the son of a king; nor sprung of a royal line; and in like manner after him, David, the son of Jesse ; the former because he was brave, and suited to the royal dignity, the lat ter because he was humble and pious. So that he who surpasses all within the realm in fitness for royalty should preside over all in dignity and power. But if any one of the family of the deceased sovereign should excel others, his election should be the more readily and cheerfully conceded. Wherefore ? as our late sovereign Richard died without issue of his body, and as his brother, earl John, now present, is wise, brave, and manifestly noble, we, having respect both to his merits and his royal blood, unanimously and with one accord elect him to be our sovereign." This was the most decisive form of election since the Conquest. HENRY 111. After the death of John, London being in possession of the French prince Louis, an assembly of the principal authorities was con vened at Winchester, under the presidency of Gualo, the papal legate. They unanimously resolved that the young king should be crown ed on the 28th of October, A.D. 1216. The ceremony was performed in the cathedral of Winchester. The papal legate compelled Henry to do homage to_ the holy Roman church and Pope Innocent for his kingdom of England and Ireland ;—he also made him swear that he would pay an annual tribute of one thousand marks to the papal see. The ceremony of coronation was repeated by Ste phen Langton archbishop of Canterbury. Early in the year 1236 Henry married the lady Eleanor, daughter in the earl of Pro vence, whose beauty is celebrated by all the chroniclers. The ceremony of her coronation was per formed pith extraordinary pomp on the 21nd of January. Holinshed's account of it will no doubt gratify our readers : " At the solernnitie of this feast and corona tion of the quene, all the high peeres of flit realm both spirituall and temporall were pre sent, there to exercise their offices as to them apperteined. The citizens of London were there in great arraie, bearing afore hir in so lemn wise three hundred and three score cups of gold and silver, in token that they ought to wait upon hir cup. Archbishop of Canter burie (according to his dutie) crowned hir, the bishop of London assisting him as his deacon. The citizens of London served out wine to everie one in great plentie. The feast was plentifull, so that nothing wanted that could be wished. Moreover in Tothill-fields roiall justes were holden by the space of eight daies together." EDWARD I. On the 15th of August, 1274, Edward I. and his queen Eleanor were crowned at Westminster by the Archbishop of Canter bury, aided by other prelates. Holinshed adds some remarkable particu lars of this coronation : " At this coronation were' present, Alexan der king of Scots, and John earle of Bretaine, with their wives that were sisters to King Edward. The king of Scots did homage unto King Edward for the realme of Scotland, in like manner as other the kings of Scotland before him had doone to other kings of Eng land, ancestoures to this King Edward. At the solemnitie of this coronation there were let go at libertie (catch them that catch might) five hundred great horsses by the king of Scots, the caries of Cernewall, Glocester, Pembroke, Warren, and others, as they were allighted fro their backs." EDWARD IL Edward 11. and his queen were crowned at Westminster on the 24th February. Holin shed informs us, " There was such presse and throng at this coronation, that a knight, called Sir John Bakewell, was thrust or crowded to death." The bishops also were incommoded, and forced to hurry through the service in a slovenly manner ; and yet it was not concluded before three in the afternoon. TMA. SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, JUNE 1838 i EDWARD 111. On the deposition of Edward 11., his son, prince Edward, was brought to a general as sembly of the nobles and clergy in the abbey church of Westminster, on the 20th of Janu ary, 1327, and Walter Raynold exhorted all present to choose the young prince for their sovereign. All assented; but the prince him self declared that he would not accept the crown until it had been voluntarily resigned by his father. A remarkable coron tion medal was struck on this occasion : on one side the young prince was represented crowned, laying his sceptre on a heap of hearts, with the motto " Pepulo dat Jura volenti" (He gives laws to a willing people); and on the other was a hand held out to save a falling crown, with the motto, " Non rapit, red recipit." (He seizes not, but receives.) RICHARD 11. The coronation of this king was more mag-! nificent than any of the preceding. The procession of the king from the Tower to' Westminster, on the day preceding the coro nation, is thus described by Holinshed The citie was adorned in all sorts most, richlie. The wa.ter- . conduits. ran with wine' for the space of three hours together. in the: upper end of Cheape was a certain castell,. made' with foure towers ; out of the which cas tell, on two sides of' it, ran forth wine abun dantly. in the towers were placed foure beau tiful]. yirgins, of stature and age like to the king, apparelled in white vestures, in every tower rue, the which blew in the king's face, at his approaching neere to them, leaves of gold; and as he approched also, they threw on him and his horsse counterfeit florens of gold. When he was come beitre the castell they tooke cups of gold, and, filling them with wine at the spouts of the castell, presented the same to the king and to his nobles. On the top of the castell, betwixt the foure towers, stood a golden angell, holding a crowne in his hands, which was so contrive, that when the king came he bowed downe, and offered to him the crowne. In the midst of the king's pallace was a marble pillar, raised hollow upon steps, on the top whereof was a great gilt eagle placed, under whose feet in the chapiter of the pillar divers kinds of wine came gushing forth at fours several places all the dale long, neither was anie forbidden to receive the same, were he fleyer so poor or abiest." HENRY - Henry IV. was crowned by archbishop Fitz alan on the 18th of October, 1399, and on this occasion the ampulla was first employed. After Henry had gone to the Tower he created forty-six knights of the Bath, among whom were three of his own sons.. The procession from the Tower to Westminster was unusually splen&d, no less than six thousand horses having been employed on the occasion. Frcissart gives the following account of Henry IV.'s procession. " The duke of Lan caster left the Tower this Sunday after dinner, on his return to Westminster he was bare headed, and had round his neck the order of the king of France. The prince of Wales, six dukes, six earls, eighteen barons, accom panied him, and there were of knights and other nobility from eight to nine hundred horse is .the procession. He passed through the streets of London, which were all handsomely decorated with tapestries and other rich hang ings : there were nine fountains in Cheapside and other streets he passed through, that ran perpetually with white and red wines. The whole cavalcade amounted to six thousand horse, that escorted the duke from the Tower to Westminster." HENRY V. Henry V. was crowned on the 9th of April, 1415. Katherine of France, the queen of Henry V., was crowned on the 24th of Fe bruary, 1440; the account which. Holinshed gives of the magnificence displayed upon this occasion is far too characteristic of the age to be omitted. " After the great Solemnization of the foresaid coronation in the church of St. Peter's, at Westminster, was ended, the queene was conveied into the great. Hall of West minstei, and there set to dinner. Upon whose right hand sat, at the end of the table; the archbishop of Canterbury, and Henrie sur named the Rich, cardinall of Winchester. Upon the left hand of the queene sat the king of Scots in his estates. who Ira* served with ,I;lesbe, as Wv - ie the foresaid bishops, but Yet after them. ' Upon the lefi hand, next to the cupboord, sat the major and his bre thren, the aldermen of London. The bishops egan the table, against the barons of, the Cinque Pore ; and the ladies agaiast the les►ior. These, Frith Mears, ordered tke aer vise ; and, for the first •ourse, brawne in mus tard, eeles in burneur, pike in herbage, fninsent, with balien, lamprie powdered, trout, codling, plaice fried, martine fried, crabs, leech lum bard flourished larks, and A devise sailed a pellican, sitting on hir nest with hir birds, and an image of St. Katharine holding a booke, and disputing with doctors. " The second course was, gellie colored with columbine flowers, white pole ge or creams of almonds, breame of the sea, conger, cheuen, barbill and roeh, fresh salmon, halibut, gur nard, rochet broiled, smelts fried, CTCTiS or lobster, leech-damaske, with the king's poesie flourished thereon. " The third course was, dates in compost, creame motle, carpe deore, turbut, tench, pearch with goion, fresh sturgion with welks, porperous rosted, crevesse de eau doure, pranis, eeles rosted with lamprie, a leech, called the white leech, flourished with hawthorn leaves and rad haves ; a marchpane garnished with diverse figures of angels." HICNRY VI. I-Lnry VI. was crowned at Westminster, Nov. 6th, 1429, being then only in the ninth year of his age. The coronation feast was celeFrated at Westminster with great splen dour. In - the first course, Fabian tells us, there were, among other royal viands, " Bore hedes in castellys of gold and enarmed," " Cus tard royall, with a lyopard of golde syttyng therein, and holding a floure de lyce." The pageant for this course was, " A sotyltie of Seynt Edwarde and Seynt Lowys armed, and upon eyther his cote armoure, holdyng atwene them a figure lyke unto Kynge Henry, stand ynge also in his cote armoure, anc a scripture passynge from them both, sayinge,----‘ Beholde II perfyght kynges under one cote armoire.' " EDWARD IV. The monarch had his title confirmed by the forms of a popular election. Immediately after his victory over Henry VI. he came to London, and returned thanks to God at St. Paul's church. He was then conducted in solemn procession to Westminster, and placed on the King's Bench, in the Hall, which was filled with people. It was then demanded of the commons whether they would accept this prince to be their sovereign; to which all assented. He was crowned by archbishop Bouchier, June 49th, 1461. EDWARD Y. Preparations were made for the coronation of Edward V., but the barons and commons refused to accept any of the late king's sons as their sovereign, and tendered the crown to Richard duke of Gloucauter. RICIIARD lIL Richard 111. and his queen, Anne, daugh ter to the earl of Warwick, were crowned on the sth of July, 1483, "with the selfe same provision," says Grafton," that was appointed for the oaronation of his nephew." The king' i and queen received th e sacramen t f rom t h e = hands of the cardinal archbishop of Canter bury, and one host, or consecrated wafer, was. divided between them. HENRY VII. Henry VII. was crowned October 30th, I 1485, and his queen, Elizabeth, October 30t11,1 !1487. The latter was remarkable for the !procession by water from the palace of Green- i 'wich to the Tower, in s t ea d o f f rom W es t-4 minster, as was usual. The queen was 'escorted by the lord mayor, sheriffs, and the heads of the different companies in their state barges, richly ornamented with silken pennons and streamers, and also with the banners of the different trades, on which their arms were em broidered in gold. One of these barges, called the bachelors' barge, contained an extraor dinary pageant, an enormous red dragon which spouted streams of fire into the Thames. When the queen rode through the city on the follow ing day, choirs of children dressed as angels were stationed in different places, who sang braes and songs as she passed by. Hz NRY VIII. Henry VIII. was extremely fond of pa geantry, and be was particularly anxious `about the ceremonials of his coronation. The Londoners seconded his desires, and when, after having created twenty-four knights of the Bath, he rode through London from the Tower, June, 22, 1509, the streets were hung with tapestry and cloth of arras, and a great part of the south side of Cheap and part of Cornhill were hung with cloth of gold. The several companies and civic dignitaries liawx . ; t&l4 us, " The goldimithi' stalls .unto the end of the Old Change, being replenished with virgins in white, with branches of white wax ; the priestes and clearkes in rich copes, with crosses and censers of silver, censing his grace and the queene also as they passed. The queene Katherine was sitting in hir litter, borne by two white_ palfries, the litter covered and richlie apparelled, and the palfries trapped in white cloth of gold ; hir person apparelled in white satin imbroidered, hir haire hanging downe to hir Backe, beautifull and goodlie to behold, and on hir head a coronall set with manic rich orient stones." The coronation was celebrated with brilliant "jugs and turneies," which the king and queen witnessed from "a faire house covered with tapestiie." EDWARD VI. Edward VI. was crowned February 20th, 1546. "He rode through London into West minster," says Holinshed, " with as great roialtie as might be, the streets being hung, and pageants in divers places erected, to testifie the good willes of the citizens. . . . . As he passed on the south part of Paule's churchyard, an Argosine came from the battlements of Paule's church upon a cable, being made fast to an anchor by the deane's gate, lieing on his breast, aiding hirnselfe neither with hand nor foot, and after ascended to the middest of the - cable, where he tumbled and plaied many prettie toies, whereat the king and the nobles had good pastime." At this coronation, when the three swords, for the three kingdoms, were brought to be carried before him, the king observed, that there was yet one wanting, and called for the BIBLE. " That," said h, "is the sword of the. spirit, and ought in all right to govern us, who use these for the people's safety, by God's appointment. Without that sword we are nothing :we can do nothing. From that we arc 17f: . . . . receive whatsoever it is that we at this present do assume. Under thatwe ought to live, to fight, to govern the people, and to perform all our affairs. From that alone we obtain all power, virtue, grace, salvation, and whatsoever we Late of divine strength." QUINN MARY. Mary, the first female sovereign of this realm, was crowned on the Ist of October, 1553, by Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Win chester, the archbishops of York and Canter . - bury being then prisoners in the Tower. On the last day of September she went in state from the Tower to Westminster in an open chariot, drawn by six horses, covered with cloth of tissue. In a second chariot came the princess Elizabeth and the lady Anne of Cleves ; the ladies in waiting rode upon horses covered with trappings of crimson vel vet and satin. Three pageants were erected in Fenchurch-street by the Genoese, Easter ling, and Florentine merchants. Among the city pageants, the most remark able was that of St. Paul's cathedral, thus de scribed by Holinshed :—" There was one Peter, a Dutchman, that stood on the weather cock of Paule's steeple, holding a streamer in his hand of five yards long, and waiving there of, stood sometimes on the one foot and shooke the other, and then kneeled on his knees, to the great marvel! of all people. He had made two scaffolds under him, one about the crosse, having torches and streamers set on it, and another over the ball of. the crosse, like wise set with streamers and torches, which could not burn, the wind was so great. The said Peter had sixteen pounds, thirteene shil lings, four pense for his costes, and paines, and all his stuffe." The conduits ran with wine, and, when the civic authorities received the queen at Cheape, the chamberlain presented her with a purse of tissue containing a thousand marks in gold,. ELIZABETH. Speed's account of the procession of queen Elizabeth contains some particulars too re markable to be omitted. " All things in rea dinesse, upon the fourteenth of January, with great triumphes and sumptuous shewes, shee passed thorow London, towards Westminster, to receive her imperiall crowne ; but before shee entered her chariot in the Tower, acknow ledging that the seat was God's into which shee was to enter, and shee his vicegerent to wield the English sceptre ; in that royall as sembly, with eyes and hands elevated to heaven, upon her knees, she prayed for his assistance, as Solomon did for wisedome when he Cooke the like charge; with a thankfull re membrance unto God for his continued pre servation, who had brought her thorow great dangers unto that present dignitie." She was crowned the 25th of January, 1551, by Oglethorpe bishop of Carlisle, the see of Canterbury being vacant by the death of Car dinal Pole. Holinshed says that she corn ed the following prayer as she went to her coronation: de 0 Lord Alirxightie and Everlasting God, I give thee most heartie thanks that thou ha's beene so merciful! into me, as to spare me to behold this ioifull daie. And I acknowledge that thou halt Belt as wonderfullie, and as mercifullie with me, as thou didst with thy true and faithful! servant Daniell, thy prophet, whome thou deliveredst out the den from the crueltie of the greedy and roaring lions. Even Igo was I overwhel m ed, an d on ly by th ee tde ;livered. To thee, therefore, onelie be thanks, honor, and praise, for ever. Amen." JAMES I- The ceremonial for the coronation of James I. was prepared tinder the superintendence of that monarch, and displays many marks of the pedantry and extravagant notions of the royal prerogative, which form so large a portion of his character. He created two earls, ten barons, sixty-two knights of the Bath, and conferred the honour of knighthood on about four hundred gentlemen. CaARLXS I. The coronation of Charles I. was delayed until the sth of February, 1626, in conse quence of the plague, which then reigned in London. The principal novelty was the in troduction of the following clause in one of the prayers : " Let him obtain favour for thy people, like Aaron in the tabernacle, Elisha in the waters, Zacharias in the temple. Give him Peter's key of discipline and Paul's doc trine." In the year 1633 Charles 1. went to be crowned king of Scotland at Edinburgh. He was received with great splendour, and seve ral pageants were prepared to honour his re ception. The most singular was a triumphal arch, under which a mountain was raised in the form ofa.4leatre f upon which sat a nymph, rcpresenting tfte Genius of the city of Edin burgh. " Shee was attired in a sea-greene velvet mantle; her sleeves and under roabe of blew tissue, with blew buskins on her feete ; about her necke shee wore a chaine of dia monds, the dressing of her head represented a castle with turrets, her locks dangled upon her shoulders." She was attended by Reli gion, " all in white taffeta, with a blew mantle seeded with starres, and a crown of stones on her head, to spew from whence she is," lean ing upon a shield, and trampling beneath her feet Superstition, represented as a blind old woman, covered with rags. On the left hand stood Justice, in " a re d d amas k e mantle," trampling upon Oppression, represented as " a person of fierce aspecte, in armes, but broken all and scattered." CHARLES IL Charles 11., having been invited to Scot land by the Presbyterians, was crowned at Scone, January 1, 1651. On. this occasion a most extraordinary sermon was preached by " Master Robert Dowglas, minister at Edin burgh, moderator of the General Assembly, from 2 Kings xi. verses 12-17." The preacher delivered a fierce philippic against the young king's father and mother, the latter of whom he compared to the wicked Athaliah. When the ceremony was concluded, " the minister spoke to him a word of exhortation ;" that is to say, a long oration, scarcely less offensive than the sermon. ;JAMES 11. James's coronation, April 23, 1685, was celebrated with so much splendour, that it ren dered him for a considerable time popular in London. The most remarkable anecdote con nected with the solemnity is, that, on the king's return from the Abbey, the crown tottered upon his head, and would have fallen off, had not the Honourable Henry Sidney supported it, saying, " This is not the first„time our fi.- wily hafc s,TV::rte" d tile crown. WILLIAM AND MART. For the first time in England both the king and the queen were crowned as sovereigns. The ceremonial was very stately and cold ; it took plase on the 11th of April, 1689, the bishop of London officiating instead of the archbishop of Canterbury (Sancroft), who serupled to place the crown upon the head of sovereigns who claimed it by a parliamentary title, and not by hereditary descent, and what he ealled divine right. Amur. Anne was crowned April 23, 1702 ; her husband, prince George of Denmark, was present, but took no prominent part in the:ce remony. The queen gave the kiss of peace to the archbishop and the other prelates ; but, when the temporal peers did their homage, they only seemingly kissed her majesty's left cheek. As parliament was sitting, galleries were provided for members of the House of Commons, both in the Hall and the Abbey, and a sumptuous dinner was prepared for them in the Exchequer Chamber. GIORGI I. George I. was crowned at Westminster, October 20, 1714, with the usual solemnities. The king did not understand English, and few of those around him could speak German, so that the ceremonies had to be explained to his majesty in such Latin as those near him could command : this gave rise to the popular jest, that much bad language had passed be twee* the king and his ministers en the day of the coronation. GEORGE 11. George 11. and queen Caroline were crown ed October 11, 1727, with the usual solemni ties, but nothing occurred to give any variety or interest to the scene. GEORGE 111. George 111. and queen Charlotte were crowned the 22nd of September, 1761. In the Gentleman's Magazine for 1764, p. 28, is an extract from a letter addressed to the duke of Devonshire , which cont a i ns t h e following singular anecdote Th e young Pretender himself was in Westminster Hall during the coronation , and in town two or t h ree days beforeand after it, und er th e name of Mr. Brown. A gentleman told me so, who saw him there, and who whispered in his ear, Your royal highness is the last of all mortals whom 1 should expect to see here.'—' It was curiosity that led me,' said the other : but I assure you,' added he, that the person who is' the cause of all this pomp and magnificence is 4 the man I envy the least !' " When the champion east down his g auntlet' for the last time, a white glov e f e ll f r om one, of the spectators, who was in an elevated si tuation ; on its being handed to the champion, he demanded, " Who was his fair foe ?" The glove was said to have been thrown by the young chevalier, who was present in femal attire. G EORGZ IV. The coronation of George IV., which tookl place on July 19, 1821, was the most splendid ever celebrated in England. A special act of parliament was passed to enable the duke of Norfolk, who was a Ro man Catholic, to perform the functions of earl marshal ou the day of the coronation. He A' ~~. i' also, as premier. peer of England, returned thanks for the sovereign when the king's health • was toasted by the peers. During the coronation feast the king ac knowledged the different services performed according to ancient usage very graciously, save only when the cup of wine was presented by the lord mayor and citizens of London. His majesty treated these gentlemen with t marked coolness, and did not acknowledge their service by any salutation. The account of this coronation given by Sir Walter Scott is s o gra phi c an d lively, that we think it will ratify our readers to insert an abridgment of it. " The effect of the scene in the Abbey was beyond measure magnificent. The altar sur rounded by the fathers of the church—the king encircled by the nobility of the land and the councillors of his throne, and by warriors, wearing the honoured marks of distinction bought by many a glorious danger—add to---j this, the rich spectacle of the aisles crowded with with waving plumage, and coionets, and caps of honour, and the sun, which brightened and saddened as if on purpose, now beaming in full lustre on the rich and varied assemblage, and now darting a solitary ray, which catched, as it passed, the glittering folds of 1 a banner, or the edge of a group of battle-axes or parti zans, and then rested full on some fair form, the cynosure of 'neighbouring eyes,' whose r circlet of diamonds glistened under its. influ ence. Imagine all this, and then tell me if I _441 have made my journey of four hundred to little purpose. " The box assigned to the foreign ambas sadors presented a most brilliant effect, and was perfectly in a blaze with diamonds. When the sunshine lighted on Prince Esterhazy, ins particular, he glimmered like a galaxy. An honest Persian was also a remarkable figure, from the dogged and impenetrable gravity with which he looked on the whole scene, without ever moving a limb or a muscle during the space of four hours. Like Sir Wilful Wit woud, I cannot find that your Persian is ortho dox ; for, if he scorned everything else, there was a Mahometan paradise extended on his right hand along the seats which were occu pied by the peeresses and their daughters, which the Prophet himself might have looked on with emotion." But, in truth, the only interesting spectacle connected with this feast was the challenge of the champion, which is now not only unmean ing but illegal ; for it is directly contrary to the statute abolishing wager of battle in all cases whatsoever. WILLIAM IV. The arrangements for the coronation of William IV. and Queen Adelaide were a ! compromise between economy and parade. 2. The procession from the Hall to the Abbey, and the coronation feast in the Hall, were omitted. The popular enthusiasm was greater, however, than on any former occasion. The new entrance to St. James's Park was opened for the first time, and in the evening the me- tropolis was universally illuminated. The very lanes and alleys tenanted by the poor classes were lighted, to testify the loyal affection of even the humblest for " the sailor king." VALUE OF THE CROWN JEWELS. The ruby in the crown of state is valued at 10,0001., and the aqua marina, Weil torrill the mound, is still more precious. When the notorious Colonel Blood had nearly succeeded in stealing the crown from the Tower, the ruby fell in the struggle, and was not recovered for several days, when it was picked up by a poor old woman who was sweeping a crossing. The values of the other jewels have not been ascertained, with the exception of those in the crown worn by the queen consort on her re turn to Westminster Hall, which have been estimated as follows : Twenty diamonds round the circle, 1500!. each £30,0 00 Two large centre diamonds, 20001. each . 4,000 Fifty-four smaller diamonds placed at the angles of the former Four crosses, each composed of 25 diamonds Four large diamonds on the tops of the crosses . 40,00 0 Twelve diamonds contained in the deur delis . 10,000 Eighteen smaller diamonds contained in the same 2,000 Pearls, diamonds, &c., on the arches and crosses . 10,000 One hundred and forty-one diamonds on the mound 500 Twenty-six diamonds on the upper cross . . 3 ' 30 Two circles of pearl s a b ou t the rim . . 3OO £111,900 CORONATION ROBES. The ancient coronation robes which were destroyed in 1649, do not appear to have been very valuable, if we may judge from the enu meration given of them by the parliamentary commissioners, from which we have before quoted. In their report we find the follow ing Inventory of the Regalia, now in West minster Abbey, in an iron chest," where they were formerly kept. 4 e . d. One common taffaty robe, very old, valued at . 0 10 0 One robe laced with gould lace, valued at . One silver cullered silk robe, very old, and worth notking One robe of crimson taffaty sarcenet, valued at One paire of buskins, cloth of silver and silver stockings, very old, and valued at . 0 2 6 One paire of shoes of cloth of gold at . . . 0 2 0 One plaza of gloves, embroidered with gould, at 0 1 0 Three swords with scabbards of cloth of gould, at 3 0 0 One old carob of borne, worth nothing . . . 0 0 0 Tots.ll is the chest . . 4 10 6 The comb, which is here dismissed so con temptuously, was supposed to have belonged to Edward the Confessor, and was used in the ancient forms of coronation, to smooth the king's hair previous to the anointing. KINGS-AT-ARMS. The dresses of the kings-at-arms,' heralds, and pursuivants, add considerable splendour to the ceremonial of a coronation. The kings' at-arms wear tabards, or surcoats of velvet and cloth of gold, on which the royal insignia , are emblazoned; these tabards resemble, sleeveless gowns in form, but they are fur nished with wings, which fold over the arms.' They wear also collars of SS, that is, composed of links shaped like the letter S, made of silver. gilt, with bad ges a t th e cen t re , conta i n i ng the shamrock, rose, and thistle, enamelled in Melt . / proper colours. They ore also entitled to wear coronets, or plain circles of gold, deco rated with sixteen upright leaves, eight 01 which are lon g , and eight short. So import' ant was the o ffice of king-at-arms anciently held, that a solemn ceremony was appointed for their inauguration, In fact, it was the mimicry of a royal coronation, except that the unction was performed with wine instead 0 oil. In Scotland, Sir David Lindesay W 3 crowned Lyon king-of-arms by his soverei; with the ancient crown which the monar ' wore before they assumed a close crown, 11. .- . 1592. London: Printed and Published by MURDO YOUN 6 ' ° O No. 112, Strand, at The Sun Office. No, 11 . 2, Stood, 1 the county of Middlesex,—Thereday, June '2B, 1838.